RX-8 wins Wheels award

The environment took a back seat to performance at the 2003 Wheels Car of the Year award for automotive excellence, announced yesterday.

The Toyota Prius hybrid car, which uses a petrol engine hooked up to an electric motor, was snubbed by the eight judges in favour of Mazda's fun but thirsty RX-8 four-door sports car.

According to government-regulated fuel consumption figures, the RX-8 - which has a V8-like diet - uses almost three times more fuel than the Prius it beat to Australia's longest-running motoring award, now in its 41st year.

Wheels editor Ged Bulmer acknowledged the RX-8 was thirsty, but said the car's positives outweighed its negatives.

"Fuel consumption was one of the negatives of the car," Mr Bulmer said.